Foundation Wall Crack Repair Near Richmond, Lexington, Georgetown
Identifying The Cause Of Your Foundation Wall Cracks -- And How To Repair Them
At The Basement Doctor of Central Kentucky, we can inspect your foundation at no charge, providing you with a written solution to permanently stabilize your home's structure.
In many cases, we may even be able to close the cracks, straighten doors and windows and return your foundation to its original position.
The Problem:
You've noticed cracks in your foundation walls.
Telltale Signs:
- Horizontal Or Vertical Wall Cracks
- Pushing In At The Bottom Of The Wall
- Sliding In At The Top Of The Wall
- Bulging, Buckling Foundation Walls
- "Stair-Step" Or Diagonal Cracking
How to Fix It:
There is a unique solution for each cause of foundation wall cracks. Some concrete walls may experience small cracks as they cure and this is normal; there is no need for alarm.
If you have large cracks due to foundation settlement issues, foundation piers may be your solution. A wall anchor system may solve your problem if your foundation walls are failing due to expansive soils.
We have solutions that fix foundation wall cracks! Call us for a free foundation repair quote today!
We serve Georgetown, Richmond, Lexington, and many nearby areas in Kentucky.
Different Types Of Foundation Wall Cracks
Foundation cracks vary in severity from a simple cosmetic issue to a major problem with your home. However, even serious foundation problems, when addressed early on, can be quickly and permanently fixed.
Cracks form in foundation walls for three main reasons:
Curing Concrete
Small cracks are a very common sight when concrete cures and are not a sign of major foundation problems. Another very small "hairline" crack (aka shrinkage cracks) may appear. These are usually 1/16" wide or less and generally occur near the center of a span and maintain a consistent width for the length of the crack.
A Word Of Warning: Be careful not to assume that a crack in your foundation is merely a shrinkage crack! If you see cracks in your foundation walls, monitor them regularly. If the cracks widen enough that you can fit a dime in them, or one end of the crack grows wider than the other, you should consult a foundation contractor right away.
Foundation Settlement
When the soils underneath your foundation fail to support the weight of your home, the foundation will begin to settle unevenly and cracks will appear.
As vertical cracks form and the wall or corner of the house begins to rotate, you will typically see cracks that are wider at the top or bottom.
Foundation cracks that are caused by settlement are very serious and they will only get worse over time as the home continues to move. If you are concerned that your foundation may be cracking due to settlement issues, it's best to consult a professional right away.
More about foundation settlement.
Expansive Soils
If you have clay soils around your home, they can expand and contract significantly as they become wet.
Wet clay soils can expand enough to put literally thousands of pounds of pressure on a foundation wall. This can force the walls inwards, sometimes causing them to buckle and crack. Look also for walls pushing in at the bottom or tilting in at the top.
If left unrepaired, this kind of damage can worsen until the wall fails completely or is beyond repair. By addressing the problem of failing walls quickly, repairs can be completed in as little as a day.
More about bowing, buckling walls.
Repairing Foundation Wall Cracks
There are effective solutions for any type of foundation problem. Unstable or expansive soils underneath your foundation may damage your foundation or structure, but we have answers for you!
Foundation Pier Systems stabilize and potentially lift a foundation what is resting on soils that cannot support the weight of the home. This system is a permanent solution for homes that are settling and they can be installed year-round.
Helical Piers are an excellent way to stabilize foundations when there is sufficient knowledge of local soil conditions. They are advanced into the soils underneath the foundation via a helical blade.
Push Piers stabilize foundations by transferring the weight of the home deep below the foundation, reaching to bedrock or competent strata.
Wall Anchor Systems are ideal for stabilizing and potentially straightening foundation walls that are buckling due to pressure from expansive soils.
Wall Anchors use the soils beyond the foundation walls to exert counterpressure on failing foundation walls. This holds the walls in place in the short term and it allows your contractor to attempt to straighten the walls back to their original position over time.
This solution requires access to the soils beyond your foundation walls. If exterior access is limited or not possible, we recommend installing the PowerBrace™ Wall Repair System as an effective solution.
Temporary Fixes For Foundation Walls
Painting over drywall cracks or tuckpointing cracks in brick is short-term solutions that many contractors will use to try and earn your business. These cheap solutions do not address the true cause of the problem and crack will soon reappear and more covering up and patching will be needed.
Attempts to seal drywall or mortar cracks are usually easy to identify. This is because of the variances in the finish or workmanship. It's especially difficult to match original mortar colors, therefore when tuckpointing a brick veneer it's typically not difficult to spot. Down the road, if you do decide to properly repair your foundation later, these "patches" may need to be removed before the repair can properly restore your walls and will take even more time and effort.
So in the end, you're not hiding anything! Plus, you have to disclose the problem anyways if you ever plan to sell the house.
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Can I Have A Settlement Issue If My Foundation Walls Aren't Cracked?
Do you have cracks on the drywall on the inside of your home but no cracks on the foundation wall?
Your problem may be a sagging crawl space and not the settlement of your foundation walls. Alternatively, your floor could be sinking down or experiencing upheaval.
There are several foundation problems that can occur even when your foundation walls themselves are not cracking.
Sagging Crawl Spaces
When support beams sink into the ground, mold and rot weaken floor joists and girders, or when too few crawl space support posts are in place the result is a sagging crawl space. A crawl space needs to be properly supported because of the heavy weight that bears down on it from above.
Crawl space not only sag but the floor above will sink as well. As the floor sinks, it can pull on the partition walls attached to it, leading to drywall cracks.
More about sinking crawl spaces.
Heaving Or Sinking Slab Floors
The floor will begin to sag if the soils underneath the slab floors settle or are washed away. Similarly, if the soils underneath a concrete floor expand, the slab will begin to lift upwards. Either way, the movement of concrete floors can lead to cracks along drywall and the floor itself.
More about concrete floors that sink or heave.
We Do Foundation Wall Crack Repair In KY
No matter what kinds of problems you're experiencing with your foundation walls, our in-house team of foundation experts is here to help. At The Basement Doctor of Central Kentucky, we repair foundations throughout Kentucky every day,
We'd like to offer you a free, no-obligation foundation wall repair quote to help you decide what repair solution is best for your home. Each of our free quotes comes at no obligation and includes an on-site inspection, a personal consultation and a written estimate.
To schedule your free quote, call or e-mail us today! We serve Lexington, Richmond, Georgetown and surrounding areas such as Nicholasville, Frankfort, Winchester, Danville, Shelbyville, Berea, Middlesboro and many areas nearby.
Looking for a price? Get a no cost, no obligation free estimate.
our service area
We serve the following areas
- Berry
- Carlisle
- Clearfield
- Corinth
- Crittenden
- Crockett
- Cynthiana
- Denniston
- Dry Ridge
- Elizaville
- Elkfork
- Elliottville
- Ewing
- Ezel
- Farmers
- Flatgap
- Flemingsburg
- Frenchburg
- Ghent
- Hillsboro
- Hope
- Isonville
- Jonesville
- Keaton
- Mason
- Millersburg
- Moorefield
- Morehead
- Mount Olivet
- Mount Sterling
- New Liberty
- North Middletown
- Olympia
- Owenton
- Owingsville
- Paris
- Plummers Landing
- Sadieville
- Salt Lick
- Sanders
- Sandy Hook
- Sharpsburg
- Sitka
- Stambaugh
- Wallingford
- Wellington
- West Liberty
- Williamstown
- Worthville
- Wrigley